Edmund Duke
General Edmund Duke was the Terran Confederacy General in charge of Alpha Squadron, a military force in the fictional StarCraft universe. Duke was 53 years old when warfare with the Zerg broke out. Duke's voice actor, Jack Ritschel, is deceased.2007-08-11. The Story Behind the Legacy. StarCraft Legacy. Accessed 2007-08-11. Personal History Early History As a loyal citizen of the Terran Confederacy, a member of the Old Families, and General of Alpha Squadron, Duke had a long military career. The full extent is unclear, but it is known that he had defended Tarsonis "in over thirty battles" and defeated the Colonial Liberation Army on Tyra Mining Station using "nuked earth tactics."1998-05-29. Divided Factions. StarCraft Compendium Map Archives. Not long after the destruction of Korhal, when Duke was ranked Colonel, he engaged in a space battle in Alpha Squadron's flagship, the Norad II, against the Hyperion, then controlled by the Sons of Korhal. In this he was not as successful as previous operations; the Hyperion escaped and his effort to retrieve the defecting Ghost Sarah Kerrigan failed.Neilson, Micky. StarCraft: Uprising. New York and Toronto, Ontario: Pocket Books, December 2000. ISBN 0-7434-1898-0 (eBook only). First Contact In late 2499, the Norad II was assigned to patrol the space in and around the Sara System. Edmund Duke personally joined in the fighting at Chau Sara against the Zerg. While initial efforts were successful, the Zerg onslaught quickly intensified. StarCraft. Vivendi Games. Mission: Loomings bonus campaign, mission 4: "Force of Arms" (in English). 1998.StarCraft. Vivendi Games. Mission: Loomings bonus campaign, mission 4: "Eradication" (in English). 1998. Duke and his forces pulled out before the Zerg could conquer the entire planet. General Duke oversaw Alpha Squadron's efforts to lock down the planet of Mar Sara in the wake of the Protoss attack on Chau Sara and the appearance of the Zerg on Mar Sara.StarCraft. Vivendi Games. Mission: Wasteland (in English). 1998. He wass criticized by Mar Sara's Colonial Magistrate for his actions there, including avoiding action with the Zerg, failing to rescue troops besieged by the aliens, and even arresting local militias. Duke accuses him of being a "damn fringe world yokel".StarCraft. Vivendi Games. Mission: Desperate Alliance (in English). 1998. The colonists of Antiga Prime were ready to openly revolt against the Terran Confederacy, so Duke's Alpha Squadron was given the task of suppressing the revolt. The rebels were surrounded by Confederate troops and an officer was put in charge of the rebel Command Center. The officer was assassinated by an operative of the Sons of Korhal, who just as quickly recruited the rebels to their cause and went on to defeat the Alpha Squadron detachment.StarCraft. Vivendi Games. Mission: Revolution (in English). 1998. The planet was soon beset by the Zerg. During a high orbit attack the Norad II was crippled by the Zerg and crashed into the planet. Duke survived the crash and sends out a distress signal. While the Alpha Squadron forces stationed nearby attempted to rescue him, they were stymied by the Zerg. Arcturus Mengsk's forces arrived, striking an alliance with Alpha Squadron. Together they rescued Duke. Mengsk convinced him to join the Sons of Korhal, signaling a huge victory for them in their war against the Confederates.StarCraft. Vivendi Games. Mission: Norad II (in English). 1998. Transfer of Loyalties Duke was granted a position in Mengsk's cabinet, and assisted the Sons of Korhal in conquering Tarsonis, the capital world of the Terran Confederacy. He had defended Tarsonis in over thirty major battles, so he knew its defenses inside and out. He personally led Alpha Squadron in an attack against the central space platform defended by the Confederate Omega and Delta Squadrons in order to cause enough of a "ruckus" (in Duke's own words) to allow a small force to break through the planetary defenses (the status of this force is in doubt). Duke also installs and activates a number of Psi Emitters on the platform, attracting billions of Zerg to the planet. The Zerg, overrunning the Confederacy's best defences, proceed to lay waste to Tarsonis' major cities and industrial centers, effectively ending the Terran Confederacy. In order to prevent Raynor, who has severed his ties with Mengsk, from fleeing Tarsonis, Duke succesfully activates Tarsonis' primary defensive weapon, the Ion Cannon, revealing his startling knowledge of the inner workings of the former Confederate military. Raynor is forced to destroy the cannon in order to escape. The New Dominion After Mengsk established the new Terran Dominion, General Duke became his right-hand man. In the opinion of Kerrigan, he was the real tactician in the new empire, despite Mengsk's impressive military resume. With Duke by his side, Mengsk was unopposed by any of the major Terran Militias within the Sector. While Kerrigan was being infested, she psychically called to Mengsk from the planet Char. Duke was sent to retrieve her, but was nearly attacked and nearly killed by the Zerg. Duke continued to remain near Char, bringing himself into a battle with the former Protoss Executor, Tassadar. He lost this battle as well. The Iron Fist When the United Earth Directorate's Expeditionary Force came to the Koprulu Sector and took over the Dylarian Shipyards, Duke counterattacked with the Terran Dominion Armada, which was defeated. After that, Duke withdrew his forces from the quadrant. After Korhal was retaken from the UED, Mengsk sent Duke to establish his base of operations in Augustgrad. While him and his men were asleep they were attacked by Zerg led by Kerrigan, who had always wanted to have him killed. Duke's last words, before the Norad III was destroyed by Kerrigan's Zerg, were "Do your worst then, girl. You ain't takin' Edmund Duke without a fight!" Game Unit General Duke appears in the game piloting the Norad II, a Battlecruiser with a higher attack damage then they Hyperion, however has less hit points then the Hyperion. He also appears in the StarCraft Prequel and StarCraft Secret Missions operating a Siege Tank, with 400 health and doing 70 or 150 damage, depending on mode. He later commands the Norad III before his death to Infested Kerrigan's Zerg. Quotes :Duke: "Protoss Commander, this is General Edmund Duke of the Terran Dominion Armada. You are in violation of our air-space and have endangered human lives in your reckless attack against the Zerg. I order you to withdraw your ships immediately. If you fail to comply, I will not hesitate to open fire upon your vessels." :Tassadar: "General Duke, I am Tassadar, and you are well known to me. Whatever leniency I extended to you and your comrades before, may have been in error. If you persist in halting our course, we will burn your pathetic fleet down to the last man." :Duke: "I'm going to have to assume that was a hostile response..." :―Duke faces off against Tassadar on Char; Choosing Sides Trivia *General Duke's character seems to be paralleled with real life western and war movie star John Wayne, who was also nicknamed "the Duke". Both have similar mannerisms, speech and hard-boiled personalities, which Wayne tended to display in most of his movies. As well, Edmund's character design bears some resemblance to John Wayne. *Duke could also have been based off American General George S. Patton. Both men were known for their professionalism and tough-as-nails approach to running their commands (Patton's 3rd Army and Duke's Alpha Squadron). Patton was also known to be bigoted and devoid of a sense of humor; traits that Duke also possesses.George Patton. Wikipedia. Accessed 2007-08-11. References * StarCraft homepage at Blizzard Entertainment * Battle.net StarCraft Compendium * Underwood, Peter, Bill Roper, Chris Metzen and Jeffrey Vaughn. StarCraft (Manual). Irvine, Calif.: Blizzard Entertainment, 1998. Duke Duke, General Edmund